Where's the outrage over the demolition of historical Calgary grain elevator?

There’s nothing to celebrate about the quiet demolition Sunday of the historic Ogden Federal grain elevator, which has been a dominant feature of our skyline since before the First World War. It was a landmark fixture of the southeast since it went up in 1914, and remained one of the largest structures in the city, a testament to our agricultural heritage.

Where is the outrage? Rather, the description of Sunday’s six-second implosion, as reported by the Herald’s Meghan Potkins, suggested the destruction of such history was actually a festive occasion, with a fireworks ending for the some 100 people who came out to witness. Mike Morlock, the manager for owner Cargill, described it as a show. “I’ve never seen anything like that before,” he said “I was impressed with the spectacle and how well the engineering of the last came together exactly as planned.”

“It was cool. It was a big explosion,” was how 11-year-old Jakob Mitchell described it. “Hot chocolate, Frosted Flakes and an exploding building is a pretty good Sunday morning,” added 10-year-old Cooper Philp.

From a child’s perspective, blowing up a building might be cool, but for those who understand the great significance of what was lost, the demolition is tragic. It’s the end of an important part of Calgary’s agriculture roots, dating back to the days when people travelled by horse and buggy. Bonnybrook was a rural agricultural hub, when farmers first began hauling their grain there for shipment.

The elevator was not only one of the largest in Western Canada, its architectural significance landed it a spot next to the Parthenon, in famed architect Le Corbusier’s Vers Une Architecture; a symbol in concrete of the noble, functional prairie.

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